


The Gatekeeper

by chelztoddbrooke



Series: The Road To The Goat Farm [5]
Category: Spartacus Series (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Coffee, Established Relationship, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Goat Farm, In-Laws, M/M, Meet the Family, nervous Nasir
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-30
Updated: 2018-04-30
Packaged: 2019-04-30 05:52:56
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,948
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14490240
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/chelztoddbrooke/pseuds/chelztoddbrooke
Summary: Nasir is nervous about meeting Agron's family, or more specifically the fact that he hasn't met them. But the universe has a funny way of sorting these things out.





	The Gatekeeper

Nasir ran his thumb around the edge of his coffee mug. He caught a stray drip and licked it from his finger. His eyes cut around the relatively full coffee shop. The steaming mug opposite him was awaiting Agron’s arrival.  They both had a free Saturday and were happy to spend it together. The man had made good on his promise to create more space for them in his life. Nasir had done much of the same. It wasn’t so much that they rearranged their schedules as they simply started including each other in the everyday things. It was dinner or movie nights at each other’s apartments, drinks after work on Fridays and the occasional meet up at the gym. It seemed the only ‘hard no’ was family events, of which Agron attended many.

He took a long sip from his mug as his mind wandered to the day he lectured at Agron’s school and Agron’s immediate dismissal of any kind of introduction to his brother. He couldn’t help but wonder why Agron was so resistant to introducing Nasir to his family. Admittedly, Nasir was nervous about meeting the Rhin clan, as they seemed like a large, tightknit crowd, but he felt he was enough of a presence in Agron’s life that introductions would be inevitable. Which lead Nasir back to wondering why it hadn’t happened yet. He worried that maybe Agron didn’t feel the same way. Or it could be nothing more than Nasir’s past anxieties coming to light.

He looked up as the bell on the door jingled. He couldn’t fight the catch in his breath as Agron stepped into the building. He looked twice as large as he normal did, bundled in his winter coat and scarf. Green eyes probed the crowd as he pulled the beanie off his head. A beatific smile lit up his face as he caught sight of Nasir. Agron’s arrival placated Nasir to some degree, but worry still pressed at the back of his mind.

“Hey babe,” Agron greeted, shrugging out of his coat and sliding into the booth across from Nasir. He leaned over the table and gave the man a quick kiss. “Sorry, I’m late. I was finishing up grading tests and my brother called.”

“It’s ok, I haven’t been here long,” Nasir replied somewhat stiffly. He couldn’t help the way his jaw tightened at the mention of Agron’s brother.

Agron could see the tension in his boyfriend. It was more than his usually tentativeness. And most of that tentativeness had fallen away as they spent more time together. Unless it had something to do with his past, Nasir usually let him know if something was wrong. And by the way Nasir wouldn’t quite meet his eyes and the way his hands danced nervously around his mug, he couldn’t help but feel something was wrong.

“You ok?” he checked, reaching out to set a hand on Nasir’s arm. Nasir’s dark eyes finally flicked up to look at him.

“Are you happy?”

“With you? Unbelievably.” Agron replied without hesitation. A smile graced Nasir’s lips, but only briefly. “What’s going on, Nas? Are you happy?” Agron felt a his chest constrict with worry. He wasn’t sure what he would do if Nasir said no.

“I am, very much so,” Nasir responded with something that fell just short of a reassuring smile. “I just…” he shook his head. “You know what, it’s stupid. If you’re happy and I’m happy…” he cut himself off.

“Don’t do that,” the man opposite him warned, but there was no heat to his tone. It was more of a request. He didn’t want Nasir pulling into himself. “If something is bothering you, it’s not stupid. You can tell me,” he added gently.

“You spend a lot of time with your family, and that’s great. I am not asking you to stop or anything. I just kind of wondered ifimevergoingtobeinvited,” Nasir’s words all jumbled together as his nerves got the better of him. Agron blinked at him for a moment, sorting everything out. Nasir wanted to meet his family. That honestly wasn’t what he was expecting. But then again, he wasn’t really expecting a serious conversation today. Agron opened his mouth to speak, but was cut off. “I mean, I understand if they are private events or if you don’t want me to meet them. I was just wondering.” Nasir ducked his head.

“Why wouldn’t I want you to meet them?”

“I don’t know, just the way you didn’t want to introduce me to Duro that day at the school. And I know I know I am not the most exciting person to have around, so I thought maybe…”

“Maybe I wasn’t planning on keeping you?” Agron asked the question that threatened to spill from his boyfriend’s mouth. He watched Nasir’s throat work as he swallowed hard, nervous about his answer. He moved from his bench to join Nasir. He took the man’s face in his hands. “Not a chance. I am committed to you and to us. Anyone who told you, you are not an exciting person to have around is an idiot. You are a remarkable human being and I am just beginning to get to know you.” He pressed a quick kiss to Nasir’s lips before continuing. “But I am going to be honest with you, I would have never introduced you to Duro first. He may be one of my best friends in the world, but he is an asshole.”

“Oh. Well.” Nasir stammered as he processed Agron’s speech. He was touched by the vehemence with which he spoke about their relationship and then surprised to hear him call his own brother an asshole.

“He has a good heart; he can just be really difficult from time to time. But we all love him anyway,” Agron worked to soften the blow. He didn’t want Nasir to think poorly of Duro. His brother was not a bad person by any means, he was just meddlesome and relentless. “And I had thought about inviting you to dinner with my family, but I didn’t want to overwhelm you.  I’m sorry if you felt like I didn’t want you there, because I definitely do.”

Nasir had to admit that made perfect sense. With his reticence early in their relationship, meeting Agron’s family early on would have probably created some undue pressure. He smiled softly at the man next to him, reaching to thread their fingers together.

“About my earlier statement, I think I was projecting an old worry onto you. When I was in the system, I had trouble keeping placement. It wasn’t that I was a difficult kid, I was just quiet. I kept to myself, so no one ever got attached to me. It was easy to send me back to the boys home when foster homes got overcrowded or someone more interesting came along.”

“What’s your number?” Agron asked softly, running his thumb along Nasir’s knuckles.

“How did you…?” Nasir was caught off guard. That was typically a question asked amongst foster kids.

“I work with kids,” the man shrugged. “I have a vague knowledge of the system.”

“Nine, not including return visits to the boys’ home.”

“And how long were you in?” Nasir had told him at some point, but he couldn’t recall off the top of his head.

“I was almost three and I aged out, so fifteen years, give or take.”

Agron shook his head. Nine homes in fifteen years, he couldn’t even imagine. He shifted to tuck his boyfriend against his side. “Well, I’ve decided to keep you, so you just better get used to it,” he remarked, bringing them out of the seriousness of their conversation while assuring Nasr he had nothing to worry about.

The smaller man laughed, “I think I’ll keep you too,” tilting his head back to capture Agron’s lips in a kiss.

* * *

 

They both returned to their drinks, but Agron did not return to his side of the table. He preferred the warmth of his boyfriend pressed against his side on the cold winter day. They settled into an easy conversation about their plans for the day.

“Um, Nas, do you want to meet my sister-in-law?” Agron asked abruptly.

“Ag, if this is about earlier. You don’t have to…”Nasir started to protest. He figured Agron would try to make immediate plans for introductions with his family, but that wasn't exactly what he was after. He just wanted them on the same page about the "meeting the family" topic. 

“Nope, not about that,” the larger man denied. “She just walked through the door.” Nasir’s eyes went to the door, seeing the dark haired woman who clearly recognized Agron and raised a hand to wave. “And she’s seen me, so you’ve got about 10 seconds to get up from this table if you don’t want to meet her,” he teased, motioning the woman over.

Nasir swatted at his chest. “I’m not going anywhere,” he scoffed.  

“Hey beautiful,” Agron stood to greet his sister-in-law. He pressed a kiss to her cheek as he moved to help her with her coat.

“Hey handsome,” Mia replied with their standard greeting. Her eyes shifted to the other man at the table. She took in his exotic dark skin, warm almond shaped eyes, and thick mane of black hair. “You must be Nasir,” she grinned. “Amelia Rhin, but you can call me Mia,” she reached out for a handshake.

“Nice to meet you, I’ve heard a lot about you,” he responded kindly.

“You have got to be the cutest thing I’ve ever seen,” she remarked, her nose crinkling in delight.

“I could say the same thing about you,” Nasir chuckled, taking in the sight of her pregnant belly just beginning to pop. Mia smile appreciatively. 

“Oh, would you quit that,” she laughed, addressing Agron as his hand already found the curve of her belly.

“That’s my niece or nephew in there and this is prime Uncle time. I want them to know me when they get here,” Agron argued. His eyes flicked to meet Nasir’s. The longing he saw in the man’s dark eyes made is breath catch in his chest. Suddenly the air was thick with emotion. Feelings neither of them were expecting nor were quite ready for.  A beat later, he broke away. “Sweetheart, what can I get you to drink?” he returned his attention to Mia, ushering her into the vacant bench.

“Something warm without caffeine,” she requested. As soon as Agron had disappeared into the crowd of the coffee shop, she leaned conspiratorially towards Nasir. “You know he’s crazy about you, right?” she whispered. Nasir had no other response but to duck his head as the color came to his cheeks. Of course he did, but it wasn’t something that was said out loud.  “And you’re crazy about him too!” she gasped.

“He makes it hard not to be,” Nasir admitted, he eyes shifting to seek out his boyfriend's familiar form in the crowded room.

“Good.” Mia nodded and with that Nasir felt he had her official stamp of approval.

“You’re not going to warn me not to hurt him?”  

“You’ll be having that conversation with my husband. I’m the welcoming committee, he’s security,” she grinned. Nasir couldn't help but laugh in return. Something about Mia put him at ease. “And just so you know, this is all new for Agron. He hasn’t truly dated anyone in a long time, at least as long as Duro and I have been together. So there must be something special about you to force his head out of a book long enough to take notice. That being said, he’s a real idiot when it comes to emotions. If he’s as much like his brother as I think he is, it will require massive amounts of patience,” she offered a piece of advice.

“Well, I’m glad you found the flaw, I can quit looking for it,” he joked, winking at her.

“Oh, I’m going to like you,” Mia giggled.

“Seems to be going well over here,” Agron announced his return to the table. He set a mug in front of Mia and a cookie in front of Nasir before taking a seat.

“Thanks Aggie,” Nasir murmured.

“No problem, baby. Figured we could share it,” Agron replied, jostling the smaller man back into his arms and pressing a kiss against his cheek.

“You two are so cute, you’re going to make a pregnant woman cry,” Mia mentioned. Nasir felt a blush scorch across his cheeks as he realized how openly affectionate they were being in front of Agron’s sister-in-law. Agron briefly tightened his hold on him, assuring him there was nothing to be ashamed of. “So what are you two handsome gentleman up to on a cold and nasty day like today?” Mia changed the subject, taking a sip of the beverage Agron bought her. She hummed appreciatively as the white hot chocolate hit her tongue.

“Agron’s taking me to the history museum, I’ve never been,” Nasir announced, breaking apart the cookie and handing half to Agron. 

“Gee, that sounds like an afternoon filled with fun,” Mia remarked sarcastically. “You know he knows more than the docents, right?”

“Some people actually enjoy cultured activities, Mia,” Agron teased. Mia stuck her tongue out at him.  “Speaking of which, what is that uncultured husband of yours up to today? He called me earlier, trying to talk me into helping him with some project.”

“Volleyball tournament,” Mia sighed. Between volleyball, soccer, and occasionally softball, her husband coached sports year round. It was rare they got a weekend together. “But I asked him to call you, I don’t trust him to paint the nursery on his own,” she explained.

“Ah, well if it’s for you, and my niece or nephew I suppose I can help,” Agron relented, popping the last of his cookie into his mouth.

“Well, when I decide on a color, you’ll be my first call. Nasir, you’re more than welcome to come too. You can hang out with me while the Rhin boys inevitably make idiots out of themselves trying to see who the better painter is.”

“I look forward to it,” Nasir smiled, pressing a little closer to Agron. Agron bumped their shoulders together.

As the conversation continued, Mia asked Nasir a few basic questions about himself and told a couple teasing stories about Agron. It didn't feel like the interrogation Nasir has expected, instead it was a comfortable opportunity to get to know each other better. He knew Mia was close to Agron and with as solid as their relationship was becoming, he assumed they'd be spending a lot of time together. 

* * *

 

“Well, beautiful humans, I just stopped in to warm up. If I sit any longer, I will be ready for a nap and unfortunately I have a few more errands to run,” Mia announced, gathering her things. “Thanks for the beverage, handsome.”

“Anytime,” Agron fixed her with a dimpled grin. “Little man, you ready to roll?”

“Call me that again and I am not going anywhere with you,” Nasir ground out, he didn’t miss the amused look on Mia’s face.

“Liar,” The tall man snorted, unfolding himself from the bench and helping Mia out of her seat and back into her coat.

Mia reached out to pull Nasir into a hug. “It was so nice to meet you. You are so good for him, so don’t be a stranger,” she whispered, squeezing him tight. Nasir could only nod in response, his throat constricting with emotion. This moment felt somehow more momentous that just a coffee break. He’d made it past the gatekeeper. He felt Agron’s hand on the back of his neck, the touch bringing him back to the room.

“Mia, sweetheart, stay warm and please be careful on the sidewalks,” Agron addressed his sister in law. He murmured a sincere thank you as he wrapped her in a quick hug and brushed a kiss across her cheek. He was glad to see Mia and Nasir getting along. Truthfully, she was the one he wanted to introduce Nasir to first, so it worked out that they ran into her. She had become a sister to him when she married his brother and the prefect touchstone. He trusted her completely and valued her opinion. Most importantly, she didn’t meddle the way her husband did.

“You boys have fun at the stuffy old history museum,” she teased as she shuffled out the door ahead of them.

“I like her,” Nasir said as they turned the opposite way down the street.

“Isn’t she the best?” Agron grinned, reaching for his boyfriend’s hand.

"I have to ask, though, did you know she was going to be there?" Nasir was a tiniest bit suspicious. It just seemed too coincidental that Mia should show up shortly after their conversation. Agron took a beat before he answered. He hadn't done anything to prompt their encounter with Mia. But it was her favorite coffee shop, so the idea of running into her there at some point was not impossible. Maybe he'd done something subconsciously.

"Honestly, I didn't. But I am glad she was. Especially in light of our conversation. It makes me feel like the universe is in our favor," he shrugged, pleased with the smile his statement elicited from the man beside him. “And Duro is going to be so mad she met you first.” he added with a delighted laugh.

“Is your brother really that bad?”

“That, little man, is something you’ll have to see for yourself.” He expected Nasir’s scowl at the nickname, and he relished it. He laughed again, squeezing the man’s hand.


End file.
